With time running out, Freshman Class Council candidates bombarded Facebook with Photoshopped promotional materials and campaign promises. Meanwhile, Student Union members celebrated their most successful election season to date.

The dissolution of the slate system removes a cumbersome barrier to entry for freshmen, allowing more interested students to run and fostering a more competitive environment that should lead to stronger slates overall and greater voter participation. The new electoral system, in turn, will lead to better Freshman Class Council-sponsored events and activities while nurturing a culture of political commitment on campus.

A twist ending to the most competitive Freshman Class Council election in years has put a mixed slate in charge of Student Union programming for the class of 2017. In elections running from Tuesday to Wednesday, six slates totaling 30 students ran for office this year, the most in at least five years.

Let me preface this by saying I was a candidate on “Empire Slate,” a slate that marginally lost Freshman Class Council elections. I felt especially compelled to respond to this editorial because of what I felt was a weak critique on an effective class council system and an unwarranted personal attack on its winning slate and freshman class president.

In the past few weeks, freshmen were assailed with chalk messages and free giveaways to vote for one of the slates in the Freshmen Class Council elections. While the results have been announced and “All State” is celebrating, few understand the implications behind the slate system.

Of the 18 students competing in Washington University’s month-long, freshman class Hunger Games tournament, one finally emerged victorious less than 24 hours before the school-wide Hunger Games Premier Party Thursday night. Eric Bishop, representing Beaumont Dorm, won the competition and 20 free tickets to the Hunger Games movie premier.

Emma Tyler will be the next president of the Freshman Class Council after earning more than 30 percent of the votes in the election. The results were announced Wednesday evening. Tyler’s entire slate, “Slate Louis,” was elected.